


Hot to the Touch

by backtothestart02



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: AU, College, College AU, F/M, Gen, Meet-Cute, Minor Ronnie Raymond/Caitlin Snow, Romance, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-01
Updated: 2019-11-02
Packaged: 2020-02-10 18:26:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18665908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/backtothestart02/pseuds/backtothestart02
Summary: College!AU - Of all the places Iris expected to meet the love of her life, she never imagined it would be the erotica section at the back of her favorite bookstore.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [iwasalwaysaromantic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/iwasalwaysaromantic/gifts).



> Written for my fics-for-icons arrangement with iwasalwaysaromantic.
> 
> Enjoy! :D
> 
> *Many thanks to sendtherain for beta'ing.

The glass doors opened with a sudden whoosh. Iris stepped outside the building and exhaled long and slow, feeling much more relaxed when she did so.

“You were in a hurry to get out of there,” Linda, her best friend and roommate, said, deliberately bumping into her upon her own exit a moment later.

Iris looked at her best friend and noticed the devilish glint in her eyes.

“Weren’t you? Professor Huff is awful.”

Linda rolled her eyes and looped her best friend’s arm with her own, as she pulled her down the steps and away from the campus buildings.

“He’s boring is what you mean.”

“He’s a terrible teacher. I failed his last test, and I’m a genius.”

Linda snorted. “You didn’t fail. _I_ failed.” Iris opened her mouth to respond but Linda was too quick for her. “You got a C and I got an F – the literal letter grade of failure. C is average.”

Iris scoffed. “In high school, maybe. In college anything below a B- is a failing grade, and that’s the truth.”

Linda shrugged, abandoning the argument.

“So, you have anything planned tonight?” She nudged Iris. “Besides going to your precious bookstore, I mean.”

Iris nearly stilled at the latter comment, her face suddenly on fire. She cleared her throat as a distraction, but it hardly worked.

“N-No.” She avoided Linda’s suspecting gaze. “Why?”

“I was thinking…” She spread her free arm out before them. “Party.”

This time she did stop. “Linda, no.”

“Oh, come on, Iris. It’ll be an evening party. It’ll go late into the night. You’ll be back from the bookstore, I’ll be off work, we’ll both have eaten dinner. It’ll be fun.”

She sighed. “Our apartment is tiny, Linda. Tiny. Where we will put everybody?”

“You’re assuming a lot of people are coming,” Linda said innocently.

Iris’ brows narrowed. “I’m assuming you invited a lot of people, and you’re very convincing.”

Linda’s Cheshire cat smile spread slowly across her face, and Iris released her, walking on ahead.

“Iris!” She laughed. “Iris, it’ll be fun!” She looped her arm back through her friend’s to get her to slow down.

“You didn’t answer my question,” she said, her tone deliberately clipped. Linda wasn’t thwarted.

“Well, it just so happens that my very rich parents will be out at the summer cottage this weekend…”

Iris stopped again, her eyes wide.

“Linda, no.”

Her tone was finally starting to irritate the raven-haired girl.

“Sometimes, Iris, you’re honestly no fun.”

She scoffed. “I’d rather be boring than in trouble.”

“What’s there to get in trouble for? They won’t be back till Tuesday. It’s one night. We’ll clean up after.”

“It’ll be a mess.”

“A worthy mess for a worthy cause.”

Iris rolled her eyes and continued walking.

“So, is that a yes?” Linda pleaded, bumping her hip with her best friend’s. “You’ll come?”

“Do I have a choice?”

Linda smiled wide. “I knew you’d see reason.”

Iris sighed. “I’m coming fashionably late.”

“Of course you are.” She pressed a kiss to her best friend’s cheek. “I would expect nothing less of you.”

Then just as if she wasn’t pinned to her side for their whole conversation, Linda instantly released her and headed in the opposite direction.

“The restaurant beckons.” She blew Iris a kiss and curtsied daintily as she turned her way one last time. “See you at home.”

Iris shook her head at her friend and half-heartedly wished her a farewell before turning her own opposite direction a block later to the place she yearned to go every day, immersing herself in the literature at her fingertips. _Bloschkey’s Bookshop_.

…

Ralph plopped down across from Barry, who sat reading just inside the library, and the latter knew right away that he was not going to like whatever his friend had to say.

“I have a great idea.”

“No.”

“You don’t even know what it is.”

“ _No_.”

He scoffed. “That’s just not fair. You’re not even giving it a shot.”

Barry glanced up from his book. “Is it a party?”

Ralph’s mouth hung open.

“I’m not going to another party with you, Ralph.”

He scowled. “Why not? You enjoyed the last one.”

Barry laughed humorlessly. “I did not enjoy the last one. _You_ enjoyed the last one, gorging on food, getting drunk, and making out with at least two girls in the pool. I was your ride home, and I did not enjoy myself while I was there.”

“Because you didn’t interact with a-nee-bo-dyyy.”

Barry turned a page silently.

Ralph grumbled.

“Did you ask Cisco?”

He said nothing.

“Or Ronnie?”

Ralph rolled his eyes. “Ronnie’s going.”

Barry looked at him. “Why does that annoy you?”

“Because he doesn’t like me. I’m trying to avoid him.”

“Well. You did hit on his girlfriend right in front of him…and the whole football team, which he is the star of. I can see why you’d be scared.”

“I am not sca-”

Barry sighed. “Look. Call me when you want to be picked up, and I’ll think about stopping by.”

Ralph scoffed. “Are you saying you might not come?”

Barry shrugged and tossed his book in his backpack before zipping it and putting it over her shoulders.

“It’s just a risk you’ll have to take, my friend.”

He patted him on the back and headed out of the library.

“Barry! Wait, Barry!”

But he didn’t listen, just kept on walking. Once he was outside, he pulled out his phone and called Cisco.

“Hey, Barry,” Cisco answered, sounding groggy.

“Hey- Were you…sleeping?”

“I had no classes today. What do you want from me?”

Barry laughed. “Uh, nothing, just was going to tell you I’m heading over now. I can’t seem to avoid Ralph, so I’m going behind doors I can lock.”

“Oh.”

Barry frowned, sensing some unspoken worry in the silence his best friend left hanging.

“What is it, Cisco? Is something wrong?” An idea occurred to him. “Am I interrupting something?”

“What?! No! No way.”

Barry rolled his eyes. “You know what, I think I’ll just take a walk around the block, give you some time to suavely get rid of your overnight guest.”

“Barry, it’s not-”

But he laughed and hung up. Cisco wasn’t one to bring girls back to the dorm, since he usually had trouble finding a date period. But maybe he’d gotten lucky and was exhausted from his one-night stand. Barry hadn’t seen him when he left their dorm room that morning. Anything was possible.

To avoid embarrassing him in front of said girl, though, he figured he could end up someplace quiet where he was unlikely to be disturbed. He could finish the book he was reading, finish all his homework maybe, and then be free to torment his best friend once he returned to the dorm about all the scandalous details of his brief affair.

…

Iris licked her lips, turning the page of the delicious, sensuous novel. Well, perhaps that was putting it kindly. The book she’d picked up was pure erotica. Nothing but sex with a tiny thread of romance sprinkled in the beginning, middle, and very end. That fact was how she’d justify herself if anyone prim and proper caught her reading it. But that hadn’t happened yet, and she was hoping it never would. She never bought any book, and the erotica section was in the very back of the very large, very old, very discreet bookshop on top of a furniture store five blocks from her apartment with Linda.

She’d discovered it quite accidentally – by opening the door she thought led to the bathroom and instead led to a flight of stairs that had stolen her curiosity immediately. She’d walked up the winding staircase and what she discovered when she reached the top was boarded windows and more aisles of books than she’d seen in her life; bookcases that neared the sealing, ladders propped in every other aisle to reach the higher shelves; rooms and halls with more books and ladders higher up with more books along walls on balconies. The place was a labyrinth; was it not for the arrows pointing to the two exits, one leading back to the furniture store and the other leading to an exit in the alleyway, she might not have found her way out of there.

To be honest, it had taken her a while to figure out if the place was indeed a bookstore or if it was merely a collection of books, maybe someone’s private collection that they just so happened to stash above the first-level shop. But the first time she’d exited, she came back through the furniture store and a clerk caught her eye. He ushered her to the side where he told her that what she had discovered upstairs was all for sale and she need only bring down what she wished to purchase to the little room next to the alley exit. Because there sat an elderly cashier who was almost always present who would make the transaction.

Iris had a million questions, but she was so in awe of her discovery that she hadn’t asked a single one, only nodded her thanks and ushered herself out the door. But she came back the next day and explored some more. It took her weeks before she encountered the erotica section. And first she thought it was cleverly hidden pornographic sketches that she would scoff at before moving on to genuine romance a few aisles over. Most of those had sex scenes in them, of course, but they didn’t dominate the text. These books did. Some held sketches, but most were just fictional sexcapades. It was somehow the last thing she expected. She didn’t know what to make of it at first, but she started to read, telling herself it wasn’t that bad. By the time she came to the first threesome though, she was too far gone. She gasped and threw it onto the floor, but a moment later she picked it up again and resumed reading. She took a seat by the wall, one leg over the other, and discovered the slight friction of her thighs combined with the graphic depictions of sex resulted in her arousal. And, looking slightly about to make sure no one could see her, she moved the book to one hand and fingered herself over her panties with the other, biting her lip when she came so as not to make a sound.

After that she hurriedly put the book back, horrified by her actions and didn’t come back for two days. But inevitably she returned to finish the book and then picked up another. She felt guilty about her tactics, especially since she sensed Linda would recommend putting herself out there in a social setting to create more meaningful and pleasurable encounters than fictional characters could ever do. But she wanted nothing to do with it. Her heart had been broken by boys twice in her life time, the most recent one being six months ago. She was not open to a relationship or to a guy just using her for sex for a one-night stand or a fling. She didn’t want to deal with that ego, and at the moment all guys looked the same to her: egotistical maniacs afraid of commitment, who only wanted you for sex or arm candy until something better looking came along. She was through with it. And if right now she was going to forget those mistakes by unraveling through erotica, then so be it.

She was halfway through the newest book, detailing the sexual encounters of female pirates and their male hostages, her legs starting to rub together even as she was still standing, when a gasp startled her and she turned in the direction it had come, dropping the book as she did so.

There at the end of the aisle was a handsome looking tall man, probably around her age, staring at her.

“I…um…” he tried but nothing else came out. “I’m sorry I interrupted- S-sorry.”

He ran away from her in the direction of the furniture store. She heard him run into a few, but she didn’t see him again until the door at the bottom of the staircase slammed behind him. She was too in shock. She’d never seen anyone in the secret bookstore the whole time she’d been frequenting it.

Her heart pounded, wondering if her slight squirming in place had been as obvious as it was deliberate, and she figured it must’ve been or he wouldn’t have stuttered and ran out of there like a bat out of hell.

She walked a few aisles down and peered through the wooden boards of the nearest window to see the man running down the street away from the shop.

“I really did a number on him,” she chuckled lightly to herself.

But her face was on fire.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm having so much fun with this fic. It'll be a bit until I update again, b/c I have some one-shots I want to get out first, but then I shall resume and finish it up, I promise! I'm thinking 3-4 chaps, possibly 5. Enjoy!
> 
> *Many thanks to sendtherain for beta'ing.

His heart was still pounding when he rounded the corner and found himself across the street from his dorm. The walk had only been a couple blocks, but it felt like he’d been walking for miles, power-walking, trying to erase the image of a beautiful woman inconspicuously getting herself off in the back aisle of a bookstore he didn’t even know existed.

Truth was, he didn’t really want to get the image out of his head, but it felt like such an invasion of privacy that he’d walked in on her like that. It made him feel guilty for wanting to see more.

And he’d tried – he’d tried – to tell himself that she hadn’t really been doing anything other than innocently reading a book and getting engrossed in it. But he’d seen the sign for Erotica clear as day just two aisles before he got to her and no other sign in that space. And he’d been shocked to see her there – to see anyone really, because the bookstore in and of itself felt like a hidden treasure – but there was no mistaking the hazy look in her eyes, her teeth biting her bottom lip, and her legs rubbing against each other in a provocative motion. And when she’d registered him standing there, he could’ve sworn she was a little flustered herself, even in her shock.

No, he hadn’t imagined it. She’d been getting herself off. And he had interrupted her.

And then ran out of there as fast as his legs could carry him, because…how mortifying.

And really, he needed something to take the edge off that wasn’t masturbating to the memory of her doing the same. Because then he’d never get her out of his head, which would be problematic since he’d never see her again. And if he did, it’d be equally embarrassing for both of them.

He regretted everything and nothing. He needed to confess what he’d witnessed, but only to Cisco. He trusted no one else with this knowledge.

He was so agitated, he crossed the street in a hurry, ignorant of the cars honking at him, since the light had just turned green. Once inside and in front of their door, he found he couldn’t find the right key. Cisco had told him so many times there was no need for so many keys on one ring when he only really used their dorm key a majority of the time, but Barry had insisted it was better to keep them all in one place because, ‘You never know when you might need one! Better to be prepared.’ ‘Okay, boy scout,’ Cisco had rolled his eyes, and that had been the end of that.

In this particular instance, Barry wished he had listened.

His fingers were so slippery with sweat against the metal, and they were shaking, and he was breathing so heavily that finally the door swung open, revealing a stressed-looking Cisco on the other side, and he realized he must have heard him.

 _Oh, no_ , Barry thought. _We can’t both be stressed_.

“What is going on?” Cisco demanded.

Barry swallowed hard, trying to get himself under control.

“I saw a girl.” He pushed past his roommate into the room and started to pace, running his fingers through his hair nervously.

Slowly, Cisco closed the door behind him and turned around.

“What do you mean, you saw a girl?”

“I mean,” he paused dramatically. “I saw a _girl_.”

Cisco walked in front of Barry, who stopped and narrowed his eyebrows.

“What is that code for?”

“I-” His mouth ran dry. He gulped. “I saw her _doing something_.”

“Doing something,” Cisco repeated flatly.

“Mhmm.” Barry nodded, eyes wide.

“You’re going to have to be a little more specific, man. What is the something she was doing?”

“She was doing-” He sucked in a breath of air, seemingly unable to get another word out.

Cisco rolled his eyes, then guided his roommate to the couch in their little living room.

“Okay, how about you sit down. I’ll get you some water, and then you can tell me what happened.”

Barry breathed deeply and sat, sinking back into the couch.

“O-Okay.”

A few moments later, Cisco was back in front of him handing him a glass of water.

“Thanks.”

He waited for him to take a few sips and set it down on the coffee table.

“Feel better?”

“A little.”

“Okay then. Tell me what happened.”

Barry took a deep breath, and then-

A sound that reminded him an awful lot of either a sheep or a goat interrupted them from behind Cisco’s bedroom door.

“Cisco-”

“Don’t-”

But it was no use. Barry pushed the door open, and out walked a baby goat, bleating as it went and stopping right in front of Cisco’s feet. The latter sighed. Barry’s lips twitched.

“What are you doing with a goat, Cisco?”

“No, no, no, don’t make this about me now.” He walked straight up to Barry, pointing his finger accusingly. The baby goat followed after him, making it impossible for Barry to take his roommate seriously. “We were talking about you.”

Barry laughed and took a seat back on the couch.

“No, I think this is much more interesting. How did you come to have a goat in your possession?”

Cisco grumbled, admitting defeat as he ran a hand over his face and sat beside his best friend. The goat attempted to jump onto the couch, but Cisco ordered it to sit, and obediently, it did.

“The guest you assumed I had last night?”

“She turned into a goat?” Barry asked, amused.

“Ha.” Cisco glared. “No. And I didn’t get lucky, either. I thought I was going to, but apparently she just needed a place to crash and fell asleep the second she made it in to the couch. I set some water out and went to bed. When I woke up, she was gone and this goat was sitting at the foot of my bed. I don’t have a number for her, and all I’ve got is a first name to go by. I’m not even sure this animal is hers, but I can’t imagine who else it could belong to.” He sighed.

“Well, we can’t keep it, Cisco.”

“Obviously!” He fell back against the couch. “I’m open to suggestions.” He glanced over at Barry, interrupting him just as he was opening his mouth to potentially give him one. “ _After_ you tell me about what happened with the girl. I’m guessing she was pretty.”

Resigned, Barry sighed and nodded.

“Yeah, prettiest girl I’ve ever seen.”

“What’d she look like?” Cisco asked, suddenly sounding as eager as a school girl for some gossip.

Barry ignored that, because really, he needed to confess this.

He shrugged. “Petite. Dark skin, dark hair, dark eyes…”

“You saw her eyes?”

A vision of when he’d been caught red-handed flashed before his eyes.

“Yeah.” He gulped. “For a second.”

“Okay. Enough beating around the bush, Allen. What was she doing that’s got you so flustered and blushing like-” He paused, the blinding realization hitting him suddenly. “Oh, God. You caught her in a _private_ moment?” Barry nodded sheepishly. “With herself?” Barry didn’t say anything, but he turned a bright red. To be fair, even Cisco’s cheeks warmed up.

“Well.” Cisco cleared his throat. “No wonder.” His brows furrowed a moment later. “You’ve been with girls before, though, Barry. At least twice. This can’t be the first time you’ve seen-”

“She wasn’t naked, Cisco.” His voice squeaked. “It’s the fact that I don’t know her. She’s a stranger and she was doing something I shouldn’t have been allowed to see. It’s embarrassing, and I feel so…guilty. I invaded her privacy.”

He sounded so scandalized Cisco almost had to laugh, but he held it in.

“It sounds like it was an honest mistake, Barry. And like you didn’t stick around to see what would happen.”

“No.” Barry shook his head rapidly. “I got out of there as fast as I could.”

“Oh, boy.”

Cisco squeezed his shoulder.

“Look, I really think you’re making this a bigger thing than it needs to be, but if you’re having trouble getting the incident out of your head, why don’t we go out tonight? Get drunk at some party?”

Barry glared. “We’re underage, Cisco.”

“I think you need it, Barry.” Barry opened his mouth to protest, but Cisco interrupted him again. “You said Ralph was pestering you before. What was it about?”

Barry sighed but inevitably caved.

“He wants me to go to a party with him, but I know it’s just to be his designated driver because he plans on getting drunk. I said I’d think about picking him up if he called.”

“What if we both go to the party?”

“Cisco-”

“I’ll be the designated driver, so if you decide to break the law and drink your trauma away, I can drive both of you fools home.”

Barry glared.

“I won’t take no for an answer,” he said in a sing-song voice.

“What about the goat?”

The animal bleated at the mention of its existence. Cisco looked down into its cute, innocent face.

“I think Caitlin owes me a favor.”

…

Linda walked into the doorway of Iris’ bedroom at the exact moment Iris was tugging her lacy, black push-up bra up and her snug-fitting coral tank down. She was further amused when she yanked the black leather mini-skirt she’d chosen farther up her waist, so the hem would reach mid-thigh at best and just below her ass when she bent down to adjust the straps on her glistening high heels. She was just reaching for the jewelry on the top of her dresser when her eyes locked with Linda’s, a smile tugging at the corner of her best friend’s lips.

“Caught red-handed, West.”

Iris felt heat warm her cheeks, but she cleared her throat and brought the sparkly choker to her neck anyway.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, adjusting her long locks over her shoulders just before leaning towards the mirror to apply her make-up.

Linda laughed and walked past her, plopping herself down on her bed.

“You’re a liar.”

Iris sighed after puckering her lips and setting down the pretty shade she’d chosen to complement her clothes and her complexion.

“So, I’m dressing up a little. It’s a party.”

“That you didn’t want to go to.”

“I still don’t.” She propped a hand on her hip.

Linda raised her eyebrows, silently waiting.

“I just figured…I should look the part of a hostess.”

“Co-hostess,” Linda corrected.

“Yes, of course.” She smiled politely.

Linda swung her leg over her knee and drummed her fingers.

“This wouldn’t have anything to do with a certain someone potentially showing up tonight, would it?”

Iris bristled. “You wouldn’t invite him.”

“I didn’t!” she insisted, holding her hands in the air in surrender. “But, uh…I didn’t say invites-only either, and I spread the news far and wide. He goes to CCU. Chances are he heard of it.”

Iris pursed her lips, contemplating the possible dilemma.

“Well, who cares?”

Linda raised her eyebrows again, further amused.

“Are you hoping he’ll be there? So he can… see what he’s been missing?”

Iris grinned. “Well, I hadn’t thought of that. But now that you say it, yes.”

“He’ll prob have a skank or two on his arms.” She rolled her eyes. “They prob will only be slightly more revealing than you are, I might add.”

Iris’ eyes narrowed. “The difference is I have style.”

“That’s true,” Linda allowed.

“Besides,” Iris tossed her hair over her shoulder. “I’m not looking for a hook-up.” She met her eyes. “If that’s what you’re implying.”

Linda eyed her, suspicious. “You’re not?”

“No! Of course not!” She scoffed. “The fact that you even have to _ask_ me that is-”

“I didn’t say with Eddie.”

She frowned.

“You’re not dressing up – or down – for him.” She got to her feet and approached her best friend mischievously. “So, who are you dressing for?”

“I – uh – n-no one!” She pushed past her, looking for something to distract herself with.

“You’re blushing!”

She spun around. “You can’t tell that!”

Linda rolled her eyes. “You _sound_ like you’re blushing.”

“That doesn’t even make sense.”

“You’re flustered, then.” Iris opened her mouth to defend herself, but Linda kept going. “You stuttered and ran away from me.” Iris sighed, her shoulders hunching in defeat. “What aren’t you telling me?”

Iris avoided her gaze as she came closer.

“Did you meet someone?” Iris said nothing. “Where? When?” She paused. “At the bookstore? Today?”

Iris’ eyes flashed to hers, her mouth hanging open.

“How do you do that?”

Linda grinned and shrugged. “It’s a gift.” She continued when Iris was apparently rendered speechless. “So…are you gonna tell me about him? Is he hot?” She asked, going to sit back on her bed again. “Will I want him?” She winked when Iris’ head whipped up to look at her. “Kidding.” She laughed. “Finders keepers, he’s all yours.”

She sighed and came to sit next to her.

“He probably won’t be here, and it’s not like I want a relationship. I’m not ready for that.”

“So, you _do_ want a hook-up,” she declared triumphantly.

Iris groaned. “Lindaaa.”

She laughed. “There’s no shame in that. You deserve to get some, and there are lots of bedrooms at the mansion.”

“In the house you grew up in?!” she asked, scandalized.

“It’s not like you have to do it in my bedroom.” She paused. “Or my parents’.” She licked her lips and started to grin. “Though theirs does have the biggest bed, and the view from their balcony is truly romantic.” She glanced over at her friend, who was currently glaring at her. “But I forgot, you don’t want romance.”

“I don’t,” she said stubbornly.

“Well, fine then. You’re certainly not dressed for it.”

“Linda,” she warned.

“Relax, Iris.” She rubbed her hands up and down her bare arms soothingly. “It’ll be a good time even if you don’t get your hook-up tonight, or even if you don’t get it with the guy you like. You deserve to get laid. It’s been too long. I’d have died already if I was you.”

Iris snorted. “Does that mean you’re going to end up in one of the bedrooms?”

Linda sighed. “Unfortunately not. As the hostess, I should prob have my wits about me and not some jock’s face between my thighs.”

Iris shook her head. “You’re incredible, you know that?”

“I love you, too, darling,” she said, pressing a quick kiss to her best friend’s face. “Now let’s get the hell out of here. We’ve got two hours to set up, and you know people will start showing up in one.”

Iris blew some locks out of her face.

“All right then. Let’s get this show on the road.”

Iris grabbed her clutch, a light jacket and the keys for the apartment, then followed her roommate out into the living room and out the door.

She’d been in denial about wanting to see the guy at the bookstore again, especially given the way they’d met, but since she’d been unable to envision any guy in her books as anyone but him the rest of the time she’d been there, she figured maybe a hook-up would get him out of her system and she could go back to envisioning total body-building hunks like the ones on the covers of the books she read.

Maybe.

…

Barry leaned back against the wall and glanced into the red plastic cup Cisco had deposited in his hand an hour ago, still debating whether he could trust the liquid that was inside it.

“It’s punch, dude,” Cisco had said when Barry first looked at with serious skepticism.

“Is it spiked punch?” he accused, glaring.

Cisco laughed. “No!” He took a sip from his own cup of ‘punch’, then licked his lips. “I don’t think so at least.”

“Ugh. Take it.” Barry tried to force his cup back into his best friend’s hand, but it was rejected.

“No. No. Even if it is spiked, it can’t be much if I’m not even sure if I can taste it. And if you don’t start having fun soon, you may want a little innocent extra kick.”

Barry sighed. “Why are you so determined to break the rules? Did Ralph put you up to this?”

Amused, Cisco turned and pointed at a very drunk Ralph in the corner with two blondes sprawled over him and three empty beer cans sitting near him on the floor.

“I really don’t think Ralph cares whether you get drunk or not.”

Barry shook his head, disgusted.

Cisco laughed again. “Okay, look, I’m going to try my hand at introducing myself to the pretty girl sitting all by her lonesome on the edge of the pool.”

Barry looked past him to see the girl in question.

“Kendra Saunders?”

“She’s in my bio class, and I think she might like me.”

“Shouldn’t you be looking for the girl whose goat you still have?”

Irritated, Cisco threw up his hands.

“For all I know, that girl turned into the goat!”

Barry scoffed. “Cisco.”

“You suggested it!”

“I was _joking_.”

“Either way.” He cleared his throat. “I’m not going to worry about it tonight.”

“You’re gonna owe Caitlin one though after tonight. I mean, pretending to be sick so she’d have a good enough excuse to give Ronnie instead of ‘I need to watch my friend’s goat’?”

“Shush!” Cisco held up his finger. “I’ll make it up to her later.” He straightened his shirt. “Even if I have to explain it to Ronnie myself. But for now…”

“Yeah, yeah, go.” Barry brushed him off.

Cisco hadn’t needed any more encouragement than that, and within fifteen minutes he and Kendra had disappeared into another room. It occurred to Barry that maybe his best friend had more game than he’d originally concluded, more game than himself.

After another five minutes, Barry decided he wasn’t going to take any chances. That suspiciously normal-looking cup of punch was not going to make it to his mouth at any point. He noticed a few garbage bags lying in corners around the room but knew it would probably make somewhat of a mess if he dumped a full cup into one. After a little asking around and getting lost a few times, he managed to make it to the kitchen where the hostess of the party, Linda Park, looked to be stirring together a new batch of punch.

“It’s spiked, isn’t it?” he said flatly.

She smiled brilliantly, and he knew his answer.

He walked over to the large sink and dumped his cupful in, then tossed the cup into the nearest trash bag.

“What are you doing?” she asked, mildly scandalized.

“I don’t want to get drunk,” he said, annoyed.

She snorted, amused. “Then why did you come to a party?”

He rolled his eyes and sighed. “I have no idea.”

She laughed. “Okay, look. If you’re not gonna loosen up, maybe you can help us gather some of the empty cups out there so it’s not as big of a hassle to clean everything up once everyone’s out of here.”

He debated that for a moment. “Yeah, I could do that.”

“My hero.”

He shifted a little awkwardly at that, but she was clearly unaffected and handed him a bag.

“Only empty cups, nothing yanked from people’s hands. If anybody says they’re not finished, don’t take it. And if you spot vomit anywhere, let me know and I’ll give you the supplies to clean it up.”

“Great,” he drawled, sarcastically.

Once again, she was unmoved. So, clutching the bag, he set out of the kitchen, trying not to sigh too loudly.

“Iris should be by the windows in the first room,” Linda said from behind him.

 “Iris?” He asked, not giving it much thought.

“My co-hostess,” she explained. “She’s about my height and is wearing a coral top. You can’t miss her.”

He nodded and headed out, muttering the description to himself, so he’d remember.

“Her height, coral top, her height, coral top, her height, coral to-”

And then he saw her, and the breath was stolen from him.

“Iris?” he croaked, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Yeah?” she asked before turning around, oblivious to his voice or the fact that she’d briefly heard it before – earlier that day in fact. “What is it?”

And then she was frozen to the spot, her mouth hanging open and glad a majority of the people in that room had moved to the pool area.

“You.”

“You.” His eyes widened.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, heat flooding her cheeks as she approached him.

“Cleaning,” he squeaked, his face turning pink very quickly.

She blinked, then looked down at the empty trash bag in his hands and connected the dots.

“Did you know I’d be here?”

“What?! No!” He paused, his voice going deeper. “ _No_.”

Her lips twitched. “You came to a party just to clean?” she teased, pulling the bag free from his hands.

“I…uh, don’t want to get drunk,” he explained, his eyes flickering to hers for just a moment before he tried to figure out what to do with his hands now that there was nothing in them.

“I see.” She smirked.

Setting down the two bags along the wall, she took one of his sweaty hands and pulled him with her.

“Come with me.”

“Where are we going?” he asked, his heart racing a mile a minute in his chest.

“You’ll see.”

“I’m really sorry, by the way,” he said as they stopped by multiple rooms, stopping for her to see if someone was inside and then continuing down the hall when there was.

“For what?” she said, oblivious again – or sounding that way at least.

“For this afternoon,” he said, as if it were obvious.

He tried very, very hard not to squeak his answer. To his credit, it was less squeaky than the previous time.

“I did not know you were gonna be there,” he said adamantly. “Much less that you would be…”

She paused, knocking on the last door at the end of the hall, smiling brilliantly when she looked inside and found it empty.

“Getting myself off?”

He gasped, his mind going blank as she pulled him into the room, closed and locked it behind them and pulled him down for a kiss.

Time stopped.

Anything outside the room no longer mattered.

All that existed for Barry Allen was Iris’ hands on his face and her lips on his as she urged him to kiss her back.

“W-W-Wait,” he said, pulling away just as his lips had started to respond.

“What? You don’t want to?” she asked, grumpily hurt by the rejection.

“No-no-no, of course, I _want_ to,” he hurried to assure her. “It’s just…” He licked his lips. “You’re not mad?”

She laughed. “About this afternoon?”

He nodded timidly.

“No. Why would I be? It’s not like you were stalking me.” She pulled him down to her again and sealed their lips with a kiss. “Were you?” she teasingly whispered.

“No, ma’am,” he murmured into the kiss, and she smiled.

“If you’re feeling guilty, though, I have a solution,” she said, starting to unbutton his shirt as she kissed his neck.

“What’s that?” he asked, his mind dizzy with sensation.

She kissed him a while longer, driving him mad with the feel of her lips on his and their tongues tangling as she pressed her body to his and brought his hands to all the curves she wanted touched after so long.

“You could fuck me,” she said, her tongue swirling around one of his nipples as she finally peeled his shirt off.

“Huh?”

“Fuck me.” She grinned, unbuckling his belt. “Or have you not been imagining it as much as I have all afternoon?”

He could hardly breathe. He should’ve known she was bold, given what she’d been doing where and with what, and he was feeling just as motivated. When Cisco had gone out to hand off the goat to Caitlin, he’d hightailed it to his bedroom and gotten off twice – first to the vision of Iris masturbating and then to the idea of them fucking against the bookcase that miraculously wasn’t knocked over in the process. Things were perfect like that in fantasies.

But for how badly he wanted this, and he did want it, it just felt a little too…fast. And a little like if he gave in to it, he’d never see her again and she’d pretend it had never happened.

“I have.” He swallowed.

“Thought so.”

She stuck her hand in his boxers and squeezed his already semi-hard cock.

“Iris.” He shuddered.

“Bed’s over there.” She urged him backwards, and unable to think clearly once again, he let her for a few steps.

“W-Wait.” He sucked in a breath. “Stop.”

“What is it?” she whined, then laughed, indulging him. “There are condoms in the bedside table, if that’s what you’re worried about. Linda and I stocked up.”

He snorted. “That’s not what…”

“Then what?”

“Aren’t we moving a little too fast?” he asked, holding his breath that she wouldn’t react negatively to the question.

Of course, he was not so lucky.

“How much slower should we be moving for a one-night stand?” she asked, sounding amused but the thread of impatience and irritation was clear in her voice, as much as she tried to stifle it.

He went cold, a chill ripping down his spine, though in the back of his mind he knew he should’ve expected it. Someone as stunning as Iris would probably never give him a second glance when actually considering a serious relationship.

Sometimes he wished he was capable of wanting one-night stands, but they always made him feel guilty. And he always wanted more. Probably why neither of his two girlfriends had lasted very long. His need for an emotional connection was fast and apparent even in the early stages.

“Is that all this is to you?” he asked softly.

Her arms dropped from around his neck, and he knew the mood was broken. He’d killed it.

“Yeah.” She blew hair out of her eyes. “That’s all it was going to be.”

She took a step back, straightened out her outfit and headed for the door.

“Wait, Iris-”

“Too late, book boy. I’m emotionally unavailable.”

And with that, she scoffed, left the room, and left him half-undressed and already heartbroken.

Which was ridiculous, since he hardly knew her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long time no update. You can all thank andromidagalaxie on tumblr for commissioning this chap. I hope you enjoy!
> 
> *Many thanks to sendtherain for beta'ing.

Barry made his way back down the long hallway, his shoulders slouched, a permanent frown on his face, and trying like hell not to let any tears surface in his sad, green eyes.

_She’s just a girl. Pull yourself together, man._

And he tried to. He really did. But she wasn’t ‘just a girl’ to him. She was the prettiest girl he’d ever seen, and for some reason she’d decided to take a chance on him. And he’d blown it completely.

_She only wanted you for sex._

Ha. Never in his life had a girl wanted him ‘just for sex’. He should’ve taken the opportunity when it presented itself to him, even if only for one night. Maybe the experience would’ve wowed her so much she would’ve come crawling back for more.

_You’re not **that** good in bed._

He shook his head. His inner voice was starting to get annoying, and right now he needed some positivity, not…antagonism from all the negative thoughts in his head.

Once out of the hallway, he scanned the room, looking for Cisco. He was relieved to find that neither Iris nor Linda were in the vicinity, but since he couldn’t find Cisco either, it wasn’t entirely a win. He spotted only one garbage bag where his and Iris’ has been, which told him either Linda was off cleaning or Iris was and she’d left his bag behind.

He remembered vaguely the direction Cisco had gone, but he wanted to avoid Iris at all costs. If she wasn’t here, she was somewhere else in the house, and he might run into her during his search for his best friend.

So, instead, he walked out the front door, pulled his phone out of his pocket and started walking down the block as he called a familiar number.

“Hello?” a groggy voice came from the other end.

“Hey, Caitlin, it’s me.”

The groggy voice immediately disappeared.

“Barry Allen, you’ve got some nerve!” She fumed. “Leaving me with this…this…goat!”

“It wasn’t me!” he said, shocked by her accusations. “I told Cisco it was a bad idea.”

“You should’ve convinced him not to!”

Barry sighed.

“This goat is out of control. It’s taken a chunk out of my couch and a couple of my dresses.”

Barry thought back on the size of the goat and its temperament, at least around Cisco.

“But it’s…a baby.”

He could practically feel her glare through the phone and so cleared his throat to transition into his next approach.

“How would you feel about me…helping you with the goat?”

“Why?” she asked suspiciously. “The party just started an hour ago. How are you available right now? And why shouldn’t I just give you the goat if the three of you are headed home? That way I won’t have to be responsible for the thing overnight and risk Ronnie showing up and wondering how in the world I ended up with a baby goat in my apartment and no sickness to speak of.”

Barry heard a clatter from the other end.

“What was that?”

“I locked it in the bathroom. Tried to put everything away, but, you know, my apartment isn’t _goat_ -proof, so…”

He sighed again.

“It’s just me, Caitlin. Cisco and Ralph aren’t ready to leave yet.”

There was a pause. “Why?” she finally said. “They too busy getting laid?” She chuckled lightly, but Barry didn’t say anything in response to that, because…well…it was entirely possible. “Forget I asked,” she muttered.

“Please pick me up, Caitlin,” he pleaded. “You can even bring the goat with you and just drop me off at the apartment. I just gotta get out of here.”

There was another pause until she spoke again.

“Did something happen, Barry?”

He ran a hand through his hair.

“I’d rather not talk about it right now. I just want to go home.”

“Girl troubles?”

_Damn. How did she do that?_

He opted not to say anything.

She took a breath, resigning herself to the inevitable.

“All right, I’ll come get you and bring the goat and take you home, but don’t expect me to play therapist to you and your problems. This evening has stressed me out way past my limits.”

He didn’t want to talk about his problems, so he had no problem with her not wanting to hear the details. He was drained from being rejected. Just getting home and even taking care of a goat sounded better than staying at this stupid party he hadn’t really wanted to go to in the first place.

“Fine with me. Sorry you had to deal with this.”

Caitlin softened. “It’s okay, Barry. You better walk a block or more away from the house though. I can’t risk Ronnie seeing me and thinking I lied to him to babysit a goat.”

He smiled inwardly a little, but he couldn’t make the action reach his lips.

“Yeah, that’s no problem.”

“Okay, see you soon.”

“Hey, Cait?” he said before she could hang up.

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

He couldn’t see it, but she was genuinely smiling on the other end at his sentiment.

“Of course. See you in ten. I’ll be waiting for you at Beecher and Westwood.”

“Okay.”

They hung up, and he trudged along, so ready to forget everything about tonight. Though he couldn’t completely forget the taste of Iris’ lips. And truthfully, way deep down, selfishly, he didn’t want to.

…

 

After another ten minutes of cleaning up – and truthfully, it had been a good half hour or so since she’d started ripping people’s half-full cups out of their hands occasionally – Iris tied her second garbage bag in a knot and left it by the other one. Her first one had been her own. The second one had been Barry’s before she’d… Well, before she’d been set on seducing him and then promptly ditched her when he didn’t want to see her as a means to an end like practically every other guy before him.

She blew a few locks out of her eyes, then went into the kitchen, hoping to be made useful with something other than putting trash into bags, but Linda was nowhere to be found. Iris didn’t want to go searching for her either, so after washing and drying her hands, she headed upstairs and hoped beyond all hope no one was banging each other in the room with a balcony she was so fond of.

She got lucky. The room was unoccupied.

She moved through the dark until she reached the other side and pushed the balcony door open. On it, she found Linda sipping a wine cooler and observing the antics of frat boys too drunk to keep still doing inane things in the backyard.

“Hey! No… No! That’s my grandmother’s!” She yelled at the drunkard about to puke on an old, white lawn wicker chair that Iris recognized. Thankfully the guy puked about a foot away on the grass. Had he not, Iris didn’t doubt that Linda would’ve run smack into her as she stepped onto the porch.

“You tell him, girl,” she murmured, relieved to be in her best friend’s presence again. Somehow everything was better with Linda in the vicinity. Stupid boys and reckless mistakes a thing of the past, irrelevant when it was just the two of them.

“What? Oh, hey, babe. You disappeared on me for a while.”

“I was cleaning up,” she said with a shrug of her shoulder.

“And before that?” she asked, nudging her arm a bit and wiggling her eyebrows.

Iris rolled her eyes. So much for forgetting the reckless decision she’d made and the poor boy she’d inflicted it on.

“Before that I almost got it on,” she said with a sigh.

Linda frowned. “But you didn’t?” Iris shook her head. “How come?”

“Because I’m an idiot and only wanted sex.”

Linda snorted and turned fully towards her, leaning her elbow on the banister.

“Nothing wrong with that, honey. Even couples coming here tonight aren’t exactly looking for a romantic rendezvous when they sneak off for a quickie in an unused bedroom.

Iris nodded, allowing that.

“Maybe not, but at least they don’t put everything to a halt and refuse to have sex with each other when the other party wants to get to know them first.” She scrunched up her nose.

“Presumably they know each other very well before they came to the party.”

Iris allowed that too. “Presumably.”

“Honey, what’s going on?” Linda was worried now, especially when Iris glanced over at her. “I’m your best friend. You can tell me anything.”

“I know that.” She squeezed her arm reassuringly.

“So tell me.”

Iris sighed. “I found the guy.”

Linda’s brows furrowed and she shook her head in confusion.

“You know,” Iris said in emphasis, “The guy?”

It took a little while longer for it to click, but when it did Linda was wide-eyed with her mouth hanging open for a good five seconds at once.

“Ohhh.”

Iris nodded. “Yeah.”

“The kid I sent out with a garbage bag to help you clean?”

“That’s the one.”

“But he’s…” She wrinkled her nose. “I mean, he’s cute, but-”

Iris glared.

“He’s not really your type.” Linda’s voice raised a notch defensively.

“No, my type is blonde, muscular, and the cheating type.”

“Iris…”

 _That’s not what I was gonna say_ went unsaid. Linda didn’t say it, and Iris didn’t apologize. She did lean in closer to her bestie and rest her head on her shoulder though. Linda wrapped an arm around her waist.

“I suck.”

“You do not suck.”

“I just wanted sex. I can’t afford to have my heart broken again right now, not even from a good guy.”

“I know, honey, I know.”

“Is that so wrong?”

“Hell, no. If guys can have one-night stands, so can we.”

“And maybe it would’ve happened more than once if he was really good.”

Linda pulled back slightly to look her best friend in the eye.

“It really has been a long time since you’ve gotten laid, hasn’t it?”

Iris laughed and pushed her away but allowed herself to be drawn back in with the barest try a few moments later. They walked inside together, and Linda shut the door behind them.

…

Caitlin’s car came to a crawling stop as they finally reached Cisco and Barry’s apartment building. The ride had ranged from insurmountable tension to awkward silences and Caitlin trying to lighten up the mood by saying the goat had only snacked on a corner of one of her dresses. That got a chuckle out of Barry and earned him a glare from Caitlin.

“It’s not funny,” she spewed, effectively guilt-tripping Barry and confusing him.

But by the time they reached their destination, all was well between them again. Except, of course, for the fact that Caitlin had never asked what she’d really wanted to. Because he said he didn’t want to talk about it, so she never brought it up, but she’d wanted to. And Barry sensed that was what had resulted in the disastrous car ride.

“Well…thanks for the ride,” Barry said, eager to get out and sleep away his troubles. But when he turned to face her and saw the forced smile, the surfacing of tears in her eyes from trying to keep her mouth shut after so much pointless blabbing, he caved. “Ask it.”

Her brows furrowed in feigned confused.

“What? I don’t-”

He gave her a knowing look, and she sighed.

“What happened tonight, Barry? Why’d you call me to come pick you up?”

He nodded, figuring that was it.

“I had a falling out.”

“With Cisco?” Her brows furrowed in concern, her bottom lip trembling a bit.

“Oh, no, nothing like that. I didn’t come home with him because…well, he was occupied.”

“Ah,” she said, clearly amused.

“ _And_ ,” he was determined to emphasize. “Because I was avoiding the person I had a falling out with. I didn’t want to run into her.”

“Wait. _Her_?” She turned to face him fully. “You were with a _girl_?”

His brows narrowed.

“You don’t have to make it sound so strange, you know. I _have_ been with girls before.”

“Well, yeah.” She shrugged and leaned into her seat. “But not for a while; and let’s be real, probably every girl at that party was out of your league.”

He bristled, even though he knew she was right.

“Well, we’d met before.”

Her jaw dropped. “When?”

“Earlier today.” He paused, debating how much to tell her. “Though it was kind of an embarrassing moment, so I’m surprised she was interested.”

“She was interested?”

He gave her a look.

“Okay, okay, sorry. I’m just… who was she? If you don’t mind me asking.”

He said nothing.

“I won’t tell a soul, I promise! And I’m betting you told Cisco already anyway.”

“I did, but I know for a fact there’s one soul you _will_ tell.”

“Who?” she asked, confused.

He waited a bit until she figured it out.

“Why would Ronnie care?” she finally said.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “But he’s a lot more in her league than I am, and I just…I don’t want this getting out, okay?”

“Ronnie would _never_.”

“So you’re admitting you plan on telling him.”

She pursed her lips.

“Look, Caitlin, you know I have nothing against Ronnie. But…before I came along it was just the three of you. Now I’m here. And yeah, he likes me well enough, but I think he still sees me as your classmate and Cisco’s roommate.”

“That’s not true.”

“It is true.”

“Maybe last year, but not now. Now he definitely sees you as part of the group. He likes you, Barry.”

Barry said nothing to that.

Caitlin sighed.

“Okay, fine. I can see won’t be convincing you any time soon. You have my word I won’t tell Ronnie or anyone else. So, spill.”

His shoulders relaxed slightly.

“It’s Iris West.”

“Iris _West_?!” Her voice could be heard outside the car. He quickly covered her mouth.

“Sheesh, Caitlin, be quiet!”

“I’m sorry. Oh, my God, I’m so sorry.”

She replaced his hand with her own over her mouth after he’d pulled away.

“Sorry,” she whispered for good measure, her face downcast.

Barry sighed. “It’s all right. I’m as shocked as you are.”

“That must’ve been some moment you two had. What happened at the party? Did she jump you or something?” she asked jokingly. He gave her a look of confirmation. “No way. Seriously?”

“Caitlin,” he whined, tired of her implications.

“I’m sorry.”

He glared.

“Really.”

“Okay, so what happened? Were you not… I mean, did you not… Um…”

He turned a bright red.

“No.”

She blew hair out of her face.

“Okay, then _what_? Don’t keep me guessing here, Allen.”

He took a deep breath, prepared to take the plunge.

“I didn’t want a one-night stand.”

Caitlin was quiet for a long while.

“Say something,” he urged, growing nervous.

She leaned back in her seat, contemplating.

“Cait!”

“Okay, okay, it’s just…”

“What?”

“That’s really sweet, Barry.”

He rolled his eyes.

“No, I’m serious.” She put her hand on his arm. “Usually it’s the other way around. Guys wanting the one-night stand and girls wanting more than that. All I can think of is either she’s not over Eddie or…”

“Or?”

He knew who Eddie was and that Iris and Eddie had dated, but he didn’t know why they’d broken up. Though it had obviously been serious or she wouldn’t still be bitter a year later. He much preferred there was another possibility here.

“Or she’s playing hard to get.”

His eyes widened.

“You think she might be?”

She shrugged. “Like I said, it’s option two.”

“Is option two more likely than option one?” He asked, though adrenaline was already running through his veins at the possibility that Iris thought highly enough of him, was interested enough, that she was playing hard to get.

“Well…”

Barry ignored the hesitant tone in her voice.

“What do you think I should do?” She opened her mouth to respond, but he continued. “If she is playing hard to get.”

Caitlin gave up the lost cause.

“If she’s playing hard to get, then the best course of action is to keep pursuing her.”

He grinned widely.

“But if she’s not-”

He tuned the rest of her advice out.

“Thanks, Caitlin.” He hugged her quickly. “You’re the best.”

Then he was out of her car and practically flying up the stairs inside the apartment building, and Caitlin worried that she’d made a terrible mistake. Because if Iris wasn’t over Eddie, then Barry pursuing her would have disastrous consequences. Iris mad as hell for one, and Barry heartbroken. The poor guy wore his heart on his sleeve. If Iris was set on not being emotionally involved, and Barry wasn’t willing to meet her halfway on that, then…

The bleating from the baby goat sounded from the back seat, interrupting her thoughts.

She paled, the color draining from her face.

“Oh, no.” She turned around and saw the little creature chewing something in the dark. She was afraid to find out what. She turned back towards the passenger seat and looked out the window to see if she could see Barry still.

“Barry!” She called out, lowering his window as the last of his feet disappeared from view. “Barry, your goat!”

…

The next morning, Iris bailed on her early class to go to the secret bookstore. She was irritated and horny, but apparently not horny enough to get herself off without imagining Barry Allen’s face and touch and lips. His height and his hair and how eager he was at first…

_That’s right, Iris. At **first**. _

_He rejected you. Just like Eddie._

She shook her head. _Not just like Eddie._

Barry was an intriguing specimen that was nothing like her ex-boyfriend. Unfortunately for him, she had no interest in a romantic relationship right now. She wasn’t still hung up on her ex, but she wasn’t ready to open her heart to anyone right now, not even a bumbling, nerdy, respectful Barry Allen.

And unfortunately for her, her body no longer found anything sexually appealing except the prospect of getting hot and heavy with anyone else. Not even fictional characters it seemed, because here she was on her third book and none of the very kinky scenarios had aroused her enough to make her more than a little damp.

“Damn it!” she cursed quietly – as if the place was a library. She rolled her eyes at herself, then threw the book to the floor. “Pirates and maid wenches are not hot together. They’re not!”

Silence filled the store once again. The only thing that could be heard was her irritated heavy breathing.

That is… until _his_ voice had filtered through.

“Noted.”

A chill ripped down Iris’ spine. The little hairs on the back of her neck and arms stood at attention. Heat flooded her face. Slowly, cautiously, carefully, she turned to see who the voice belonged to. Even though she knew who it was. Even though she’d know that voice anywhere after it had responded to her seductive words in a dark bedroom and been crushed at the idea of _just_ a one-night stand.

Barry’s eyebrows were raised in amusement as he caught her reaction, then looked down at the floor, then back at her.

Iris didn’t move a muscle. She could only watch as Barry closed the distance between them to pick up the book and put it back on the shelf that just happened to be right in front of her. She sucked in a breath when his arm lifted over her head and his shirt brushed her shoulder.

She could feel the heat coming off of him in waves and her barely damp pussy now soaking her panties.

God, how could this total awkward nerd have such an effect on her?

She didn’t know how, but when he took half a step back to look her in the eye again, the possibility of playing hard to get for a second chance with her was less appealing by the minute.

Still, she tried for it.

“If you think I’m going to give you another cha-”

He swallowed her moan as his lips descended onto hers, pushing her back against the wall, half their bodies on the nearest bookshelves, the other against the brick. Barry’s tongue delved deep into her mouth, gliding and twisting on and around hers, making her dizzy with intoxication. Soon her leg was hooked around his calf, and he was picking her up and sucking the skin on her neck and nibbling on her collar bone as he slipped his hands underneath her shirt over her smooth, feminine back, and Iris couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so alive.

“ _Barry_ ,” she purred, shoving her fingers in his hair and grinding against him.

He groaned from the friction and held her tighter.

“Fuck me, Barry,” emerged past her lips. “Fuck me good.”

His eyes widened, though she couldn’t see it. He couldn’t believe this was happening, but he’d stop to think about what Caitlin and Cisco’s advice had turned into later. No way in hell was he going to get distracted by that now.

Iris saw the condom poking out from his front chest pocket and snatched it, tearing it free in an instant and ready to slide it onto his erect cock as soon as he lowered her enough to do so.

So, he did, but she didn’t immediately stand up as soon as she’d unzipped him. In fact, she hadn’t even put the condom on right away. Instead, she lightly kissed the tip of his cock, making it twitch and her grin.

“Oh, Baby,” she murmured, gripping his length and proceeding to give him the best combination blow-hand job of his life before standing up just short of him shooting his load into her mouth. Her fingers were wet from fingering herself while she got him hard, but there was still heat in her eyes when she met his gaze again. He could barely keep his balance.

“C’mon, cowboy. Don’t fail me now.” She winked, completely unraveling him, but he kept himself in check enough to raise her up, push her panties to the side, and – as she requested – fuck her good.


End file.
